Even during the hardest times in their lives, the girls in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants find inklings of happiness, moments that promise them that things will be okay. And on the flip side, by wading through their misery, the girls all emerge happier than they were before summer began.
Tibby, for instance, experiences some seriously major bummers over the course of the summer—we're talking about two deaths, Shmoopsters—and yet from all this, she emerges more deeply committed to living a full and open life. It was a hard road to walk down, but Tibby definitely comes through happier than she started—and she isn't the only character this is true for.
Questions About Happiness
- Which girl lacks happiness the most in her life?
- How does Tibby judge her own happiness by the happiness of her guinea pig?
- All the girls find slices of happiness while they are apart. Does this weaken their friendship?
Chew on This
All the girls need an external force to help them find internal happiness.
Reuniting in September, the girls aren't as happy as they were individually during the summer.